see the real you.”
“You don’t think this is me?”
“Don’t think I haven’t noticed that barricade you keep around yourself,” Logan said instead.
Macy swallowed and tipped up his chin. “I want you to think that over.”
“Think what over?” Logan looked puzzled and took a step toward him.
Macy took a step back and Logan stopped.
“If you can handle the truth.”
Logan’s head tipped to the side as if he were trying to figure him out. Good luck with that, he almost said, but didn’t. Nobody figured him out unless he allowed them.
He flipped his waist-length hair over one shoulder and pivoted in the hallway.
“The bedrooms are down that way,” he pointed out. “Take your pick,” he called as he disappeared into the small office that he kept there and shut the door.
Placing his thumb to the safe lock, it popped open and he tucked the gun from the back of his pants inside before removing one of the several burner phones. He’d need to find another place to store his gear if Sam really sold this place.
He put a call into dispatch, gave the daily code, and left another message for the Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge with the new burner phone number. Tony was still in the wind and there had been no contact from Frank as far as dispatch knew.
A second later, his phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Macy? It’s Alexander. What the hell is going on?”
“I don’t know,” he told the Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge. “All Stanton said is that Tony disappeared from Federal prison and Frank is missing.”
“I know all that, but where are you?”
“I had to shake a tail. I don’t know if it was Siegel, but I’m lying low for now.”
Alexander sighed. “It’s a shit show here with Siegel out. I’m worried about Frank.”
“Me too.” He gripped the phone.
“How do you want to handle this?” Alexander asked, and it was one of the reasons Macy really liked the ASAC. The man trusted his agents to make the right decisions.
“I’m going to stay put for a day or two and then make my way back to Crumpet to check out the lay of the land. It might be enough to draw out Siegel.”
“Call me when you execute. I’ll have agents there. I think it’s time to bring the marshals to your location. You might need to disappear,” Alexander replied.
“I agree. Can you have Stanton call me?”
“Will do,” Alexander said and ended the call.
Having US Marshals on hand helped, especially when he might need to disappear or needed some extra muscle. It wasn’t normal FBI procedure, but then Alexander Channing wasn’t your run of the mill Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge. In two thousand-eleven, Operation Zero Deep had brought agencies together in a rare occurrence.
Alexander had initiated his own version of the historical event in twenty-nineteen with Operation Void Sweep, a joint task force with state police, federal law enforcement, and the US Marshals. They took down twenty-five suspects, weapons, and a significant amount of drugs. After that, Alexander was known for pulling in all kinds of agencies to assist with a multitude of problems. His motto was the more the merrier. Even the Assistant Director, Forest Taylor, admitted that Alexander Channing’s leadership style had improved cross department relationships and had, in fact, increased the number of closed cases.
Macy sighed and sank into one of the office’s plush chairs. He’d kept the fact he was involved with Logan from Alexander. He didn’t want Logan anywhere near what was going down.
Macy plucked at the arm of the chair. He had a bigger problem. One in the form of the beefy hunk in the other room wanting answers.
Hmmm… perhaps, he’d do what he did best and deflect. It was worth a shot, right?
Or maybe, he could just stay away from Logan for the duration of their stay. He huffed. Who was he kidding? He wanted to jump Logan’s bones and had wanted to since the very first time the bodyguard had set foot in Crumpet looking all powerful and edible. Logan took the hunky, older man look to a whole different level.
He left the office and headed down the hallway. Reaching a locked door, he unlocked it with a key on his key ring and stepped inside.
The room was just as he’d left it. Every so often, if he were in the area or on a job, he’d stay here. Everything in this room was his. Sam had moved from Crumpet to this estate just outside of Aberdeen, but the friendship he’d made with Sam hadn’t ended. They’d kept in